One Night with the Sheik EPUB Final rev1 by Elizabeth Lennox (7)

Chapter 2

The following morning, Rhys looked down at the incredible beauty sensuously splayed out over the huge bed. She was lying on her stomach, her strawberry blonde hair fanning out above her head, the sheet barely covering the bare, perfectly round globes of her derriere. And what a derriere it was! His body was painfully aroused as he let his eyes move over her soft skin, marred only slightly by a barely-there sprinkling of freckles across her shoulders and upper back. He could barely discern the tan lines from her bathing suit and smiled, thinking about the demure outline. A one piece, he thought from the pattern.

Yes, he supposed this delicate woman would be too shy to wear a bikini. She might be naked at the moment, but he suspected that her state of undress was only because she hadn’t been offered a nightgown. His fault, he thought. He should have ordered one of his men to retrieve her suitcase from the hotel, or he might have even given the order to provide her with new clothes.

An appealing idea, he thought as he sat down beside her on the huge, silk covered bed. She didn’t even stir although her body rolled towards his, her delectable bottom now resting against his hip. His eyes moved lower, noticing the small dimples right at the base of her spine. Soon, he thought. Very soon, he was going to explore those delightful dimples. She was a beauty, but even better, she was intelligent and determined. And loyal! Damn, how rare was that quality in a person?

In his experience, humans were loyal only as long as the money continued to flow their way. If a better offer came around, they were ready to dismiss their integrity and shift loyalties.

Not this lady! She was right that she’d committed a crime by trying to slap him. But those were the old laws and were not really applied now – especially since his bodyguards rarely allowed anyone within arm’s reach, so it was a moot point.

Shifting against the mattress, he contemplated what to do with the lovely Arianna Callas. She was certainly brave and daring, coming all this way to try and find her father on her own. But as he admired all those delicate freckles, his mind was distracted from her loyalty when she sighed in her sleep, her fingers curling against the white, silk sheets. Moving again, she curled an arm up closer to her, revealing just a few more centimeters of skin.

Unfortunately, she didn’t roll enough for him to fully view her lovely breasts, but since her other arm was flung out to the side, he could see the fullness of that amazing part of her anatomy. Ah…breasts or bottom? Which would fill his hands more perfectly? He couldn’t wait to discover. And to explore every inch of her amazing body.

But then the purpose of her presence here in Triar came back to him. His security team had been working all night to try, but they hadn’t discovered what had happened to him yet. They’d discovered some interesting evidence though.

Just the thought of her father’s disappearance, about the issues that she’d revealed, caused his anger to simmer. There was a mystery to be unraveled here. If what she was telling him was true, and he had no reason to doubt her after he’d reviewed his security team’s information, then he needed to find out what was going on out on the oil sites. This was much bigger than just one man’s disappearance.

He’d have to be careful about it though. Rhys didn’t want to alert anyone to his investigation. There was too much money involved and people became quite desperate when they tried to preserve their financial future, even if obtained through illegal means.

But his attention moved back to the lovely woman. The beautiful, lovely, naked woman! Unable to resist the allure of her soft, golden skin, he ran a finger down her spine, his eyes taking in the ribs that were visible underneath the skin. She needed to eat more, he thought absently, even while he enjoyed the feeling of her soft skin under his hands.

Arianna Callas, he thought, was going to be different than the other women who had shared his bed in the past. There was just something about her, a soft beauty or maybe her innate sense of right and wrong that translated into an ill-advised attempt to investigate her father’s disappearance all on her own, that intrigued him. Lured him closer. Not many men, and no woman of his acquaintance, would have such determination, such drive and ingenuity to start investigating someone’s disappearance in a foreign country with different rules and culture.

Not for the first time, he wondered why she’d run away from him months ago. He’d felt her desire, heard the need in her voice. It had given him intense pleasure to know that she wanted him almost as badly as he’d wanted her. He’d finally understood what his Chief of Staff had meant about the lightning, the need to keep one woman and cherish her. And then she’d left. Not just the palace, but the country.

Even worse, she’d ignored all of his attempts at talking about what had happened.

But now she was here. In his country, in his home, and he would get to the bottom of the issue. And find her father.

Right now, she was exhausted. She must have been up worrying about her mission for days, if the dark circles under her eyes were any indication. Arianna Callas. Even her name sounded soft and romantic. Such a loyal daughter too!

His eyes moved over her back once again, his fingers trailing along her skin. He smiled slightly when she stretched this time, curling into his hand, but she didn’t wake up. “Rhys,” she whispered, almost as if she were dreaming about him.

Thinking that he liked that idea – a lot – he lowered his head, kissing the bare skin of her shoulder. Once more, she stretched out, her body arching towards him. He smiled, but his body was creeping towards the painful side of arousal. His fingers strayed lower, running along her arm and she smiled, whispering his name again.

“What do you want, Arianna?” he asked softly, wanting to hear his name on her lips again.

His eyes moved to her cheek, her lips. So soft. Her mouth was open slightly, her long, brown lashes resting against the golden skin of her high cheekbones and he wanted her to roll over, to open those golden eyes so that he could see her, know what she was thinking.

“Kiss me again,” she sighed.

Rhys knew that she was still asleep, but he lowered his head and nibbled along her spine, enjoying the way her body arched once more into his touch. So responsive. He thought about the way she’d burst into tears yesterday before curling up on his lap, accepting his comfort, even though, in her mind, he was ultimately the reason for her father’s disappearance. And even before her moment of weakness, he’d been watching her, wondering why she’d been so reticent to approach him. Most of the people who showed up for receiving day were anxious, overly eager to speak with him and yet, she’d allowed several people to take her turn.

Such a sweet, delicate little woman. And yet, also so strong and determined. Not to mention, so responsive.

He ran a hand over her back once more, unable to stop himself. He almost groaned when her beautiful eyes fluttered open. She looked around, obviously trying to remember where she was. And why she wasn’t in a familiar bed.

He could read everything she was thinking and feeling simply by watching her face. That didn’t even include her body language, which, as she slowly came awake, demonstrated her innocence. Any other woman of his acquaintance, upon realizing that he was sitting beside her on a bed, would have rolled over, exposing her breasts to his delectation, trying to entice him.

Not Arianna! No, much to his chagrin, those lovely eyes fluttered open, memories flooded into her brain and…she gasped, grabbing onto the sheet to cover her body from his obviously interested gaze.

“What are you doing here?” Arianna demanded, scooting as far away as the sheet would allow. Waking up in a strange room was one thing. But waking up…essentially in a man’s arms…was a completely different issue. She’d slept in hotel rooms and friends’ houses before. But never in her entire life had she woken up to find a handsome man glaring down at her.

“I’m trying to wake you so that I can escort you to breakfast,” he explained, those dark eyes taking in the view of her lush body and Arianna tightened her grip on the sheet. She couldn’t get it high enough because he was sitting on the bed, trapping most of the fabric underneath him.

“I’m not hungry,” she told him desperately as she released one hand from the sheet to push her hair out of her eyes. She figured she’d need all of her senses on high alert in order to deal with this latest crisis. The crisis of finding a man in her room. It didn’t matter that she’d asked him for assistance the previous day or that she was lucky to be in a soft bed, surrounded by luxury and silk sheets instead of in a prison cell with rough blankets and…well, probably subjected to humiliating searches.

She shuddered just thinking about what her fate might be if…

“I’m sorry, Your Highness,” she mumbled, realizing that she should probably treat this man with a bit more respect. Especially since he was looking at her as if he’d like to eat her for breakfast.

Now why did the thought of that make her feel all warm and gooey again?

A dark eyebrow went up with her new tone and she shifted uncomfortably. “What happened there, Arianna?”

She shrugged, not sure she understood. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, a moment ago, you were ready to club me for daring to sit next to you in bed, angry and belligerent. Now you’re trying to not cringe away from me, acting as if I might toss you into prison. What’s going on inside your head?”

She sighed and tried to move her legs further away from him. In response, he trapped her legs under his arm, keeping them in place. “Um…I was just…I’m grateful to you for your benevolence,” she finally admitted. “I asked you for help yesterday and you agreed. I don’t want you to assume that I’m ungrateful.”

He sighed and stood up, tamping down his frustration. “You don’t owe me gratitude, Arianna. I owe you information. So if you would like, I will wait while you dress and escort you to the breakfast room. We can have coffee, some breakfast, and I’ll explain my plans for the day.”

She licked her lips, her eyes moving over his body. Yesterday, he’d been in traditional Arabic robes, the white and gold brocade making him look very king-like. But today, he was in western garb, black cargo pants with a tight, black tee shirt that hugged all of those incredible muscles all over his body. She’d prefer it if he would find a bigger tee shirt, one that didn’t show off his chest to her hungry gaze.

Wait. Huh? His chest wasn’t all that good! And his arms? She’d seen better.

On a god, she thought with resignation. Yeah, he was amazing. All of those muscles and his flat abs…he was definitely drool-worthy.

“Arianna?” His voice broke through her thoughts and she lifted her eyes up to his. He was laughing at her. Again!

“Um...yes,” Breakfast, she reminded herself. “If you would just…” her mouth pulled into a cringe. “I don’t have any clothes on,” she admitted.

Those dark eyes once again fought the laughter. “I am aware of your state of undress, Arianna.”

She continued to stare at him, not sure what was going on. “Okay, so if you’re aware of my nakedness, perhaps you could just…get out?” she snapped, then realized that her tone wasn’t nearly as respectful as she’d just admonished herself to aim for.

The deep, rumbling laughter caused her stomach muscles to tighten and her toes to curl. She wasn’t exactly sure what she was feeling right at the moment, but she was fairly certain that it wasn’t conducive to retaining his assistance.

Be nice, she thought.

Unfortunately, that’s when he bent lower. Bracing a fist on either side of her hips, she cringed backwards. There wasn’t a lot of space left to go. For an extremely large bed, he’d easily trapped her in the middle with no place to maneuver.

“I think I like you naked,” he told her, his eyes moving from her golden gaze to her lips, then lower. Her fists tightened on the sheet, but he only lifted his eyes once again. “But I think you need food more than I need to…” he stopped, not finishing that sentence.

Standing up, he turned away. “One of my guards will bring you to the breakfast room,” he announced and then he was gone.

Arianna released the breath she’d been holding, not sure what had just happened. Had he been…flirting with her? No! Impossible!

If that was his way of flirting…she was in trouble!

Throwing off the sheets, she hurried into the bathroom and turned on the shower, not sure how much time he would give her before he came back in looking for her. The man probably wasn’t used to waiting on people. Wasn’t impatience a characteristic of the rich and powerful?

She stepped under the water and hurriedly lathered her hair and body, not bothering to try and figure out what the rich and powerful were really like. It wasn’t as if she had a lot of knowledge to base her assumptions on. She knew Hayden and Natalie, both of whom had married extremely wealthy men. But she suspected that Javier, Natalie’s husband, as well as Viktor, Hayden’s man, were completely different from the other wealthy men in the world. Not to mention, Sheik Rhys was…well, he was a sheik! He was super powerful and super…everything!

She shut off the shower and grabbed a fluffy towel, wrapping it around herself after drying off. She didn’t have any clothes since her suitcase was still back at the hotel. So, she’d washed her underwear last night. Pulling it on, she donned her blue dress again, not having any other option until she had a chance to grab something else back at the hotel she’d checked into when she’d first arrived in Triar.

Stepping through the door, she looked around the hallway and came face to face with two armed and not very happy guards. Swallowing, she looked up at the two beefy men, neither of whom looked like they wanted to escort her anywhere other than to prison.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Both men simply stared at her, not trusting her even a little and she didn’t blame them.

So she cleared her throat and tried again. “I’m supposed to meet His Highness,” she wasn’t exactly sure if that was the right way to address the man, but she figured it was probably closest to the correct protocol, “in the breakfast room. If you could just point me in the right direction, I’ll…”

The bulkier man pointed, not speaking a word. Arianna supposed that he meant for her to head in that direction. So she walked, one man in front of her and another behind. She suspected that this was what being walked to an execution might feel like, but she wasn’t going to complain. She was showered and well rested. Things could definitely be a whole lot worse.

Stepping into the beautifully decorated breakfast area, she was astonished by the open air space, thrilled to feel the morning sunshine on her shoulders. Rhys stood up as she approached, pulling the opposite chair out even as he dismissed the aide who had been discussing something with him when she’d walked in.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked as he resumed his chair.

She pulled the linen napkin down onto her lap, feeling strange all of a sudden. “Yes. It was very…restful.” Arianna was confused. He was being kind and his voice brought back all of those strange, tantalizing sensations that had woken her up this morning.

Nothing about this man, or her reaction to him, made sense – other than the way she continued to amuse him, which only angered her further. Everything she’d assumed about the man seemed wrong. After their last interlude months ago, she’d made him into a monster. Now he was…nice? Concerned? Shockingly sexy? Okay – that hadn’t changed. She’d thought him sexy from the first moment she’d looked at him.

She realized where her mind was heading and mentally jerked backwards. No! The image of his laughing eyes, the sound of his laughter after their last kiss, filled her mind and she reeled back. She couldn’t be influenced by a thoughtful word or gesture.

At least, she was trying not to be influenced.

“It was very kind of you to allow me to stay in the palace last night, but I’ll head back to my hotel tonight.”

He shook his head. “I guarantee that your stay here last night had absolutely nothing to do with kindness, Arianna.”

Trying to keep her face impassive, she glanced up at him. “What was it then?”

He reached out, touching her fingers gently. “I’m a selfish man. You are a beautiful woman who is going through a distressing period.”

Slowly, not wanting to offend him but not liking the shivers of awareness that hit her with his touch, she curled her fingers into a fist, effectively eliminating that disturbing touch. “I resent your classification of my father’s disappearance as simply ‘a distressing period’ in my life, Your Highness.”

He bowed his head slightly, acknowledging her words. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t exactly what I meant.”

Clenching her teeth and trying very hard not to fall for his charm, she crossed her arms over her chest. “What did you mean, then?”

“I meant that you’re stressed over finding your father and hoping that he’s okay. I understand and am ready to help you. I was close to my father as well, and understand the relationship.”

She’d done a great deal of research on this man before she’d come here, trying to figure out the best way to deal with him after that last kiss. She remembered the pictures after the previous king’s death, how grim and determined Rhys looked.

Once again, her heart started to soften and she had to mentally pull back. “Yes. Your father died about five years ago, right?”

“Yes. So I understand your concern with your father’s disappearance. We’re going to find him, Arianna. One way or another, we’ll discover what happened to him.”

An aide approached and Rhys leaned back, lowering his head slightly as the aide whispered something in his ear. She heard the words even though she was trying not to listen. The man was telling Rhys about a contract, something about terms that weren’t accepted, and the changes that were offered. Rhys then directed the man on how to move forward, citing very specific details. He also mentioned something about a school that had updates, and a hospital that was under construction, asking for a report on progress.

It suddenly occurred to her that Rhys probably hadn’t been given any time to grieve after his father had passed away. Hearing him provide directions on those three issues, how many other problems had he had to handle on the day of his father’s passing? How many problems did Rhys have to resolve every single day? The issues facing a ruler didn’t stop simply because a loved one passed away. He probably hadn’t been given any time to process his father’s passing before he had to shoulder all of the responsibilities of the kingdom! And it wasn’t as if Rhys had been given any forewarning of his father’s passing. The assassin who had shot the previous king hadn’t sent Rhys a letter telling him to be ready to take over.

Now here she was, furious because her father had disappeared and asking him for help. She was just one more person asking for his time, his attention. The realization wasn’t palatable.

And yet, he’d still offered her his help.

Why?

He turned back to her and she tilted her head questioningly. “Why am I here?”

“Because I…”

She gently lifted her hand to stop him. That softening of her heart and her attitude towards this man was happening regardless of her efforts to remain aloof. “All I asked for was your assistance, hoping that you could make a phone call that might smooth the way when I asked questions. Or even a call to the police, telling them to help me investigate. And yet, I suspect that you are planning to do more. Already, you said that your security team was looking into the issue.” She sighed, pushing a hand through her hair. “I’m just one more burden to your time, aren’t I?”

His deep chuckle soothed her anxiety. “You are not a burden, Arianna,” he assured with absolute conviction.

Rhys looked across the table at the lovely woman, continuously entranced by her eyes. Yes, she was beautiful, her strawberry blonde hair and creamy skin were lovely, but there was just something about her eyes. The fear for her father was there, definitely. But also a spirited determination.

Beyond the need to find out what had happened to Arianna’s father, Rhys wanted to understand her. She was physically beautiful, but he wanted to know who she was inside. Every moment of his life, he was surrounded by people who wanted something from him; favors, money, and privileges. And yet, this gentle beauty hadn’t asked for anything other than a phone call. That was something any of his aides could have done and spent maybe thirty seconds accomplishing. But Rhys wanted to take care of the investigation personally.

The idea of her walking around the country, asking anyone and everyone about her father, possibly uncovering something more sinister than she was expecting, caused him to shudder with horror.

No, this woman was too honest, too vibrant and lovely to be going around asking questions of people who had most likely hurt, maybe even killed, her father. She was putting herself in danger and he couldn’t allow that. Besides, if anything had happened to her father, Rhys wanted to be there for her.

Looking into her soft, golden eyes, he knew that there was so much more to Arianna Callas. And he was going to discover all of her.

“I’m perfectly capable of asking questions on my own,” she insisted firmly.

He saw the spark of challenge glow in her eyes, an intriguing light that he found endlessly fascinating. “Yes, but cowards kill, Arianna. I won’t allow you to put yourself in danger. Especially when I suspect that there is something bigger going on. Something more than just your father going missing.”

She blinked and he couldn’t seem to look away. “You think this is a bigger conspiracy,” she repeated, sounding alarmed.

This time, he couldn’t hold back the chuckle. “Yes. I think there’s something bigger than just a man being kidnapped. And I’m impressed that you have the integrity and determination to find out what. But I’m going to help you.”

He watched her blink, trying to understand what he was saying. “That’s what I am doing. I’m going to figure out what’s going on and who has taken my father.”

He squeezed her hand, resisting the urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her. “I admire a fighter.”

“Even if the battle is directed towards you or the people in your organization?”

“I admire anyone who is willing to fight for what is right.” He nodded to the waiter who immediately moved forward to place the food on the table. “You are a fighter, Arianna. A lovely, passionate fighter.”

“Do you treat all of your ex-girlfriends in such a manner?”

He sighed and looked directly at her. “Okay, let’s get this out of the way.” He leaned closer, not allowing her to look away from him. “First of all, you aren’t an ex-girlfriend. Something happened the last time you were here in Triar and I’m going to discover what.” She opened her mouth to argue with him, but he held up a hand, silencing her contradiction. “Secondly, you aren’t going out there alone. From past experience, I know that you are too honest of a person and the people we’ll be talking to would try to take advantage of that. And no, I don’t completely know you. Yet. But I have a feeling about you and I’m rarely wrong about people.” His eyes hardened and she tensed for his next words. “And once this is all over, we’re going to talk. We’re going to discuss what happened during that last kiss and why you ran away from me.”

She focused on the first part, ignoring the last statement. “I don’t need your presence. You’ll be in danger if you leave the palace. I might not know a lot about royal security, or whatever, but I know that much.”

Rhys watched as her eyes softened with concern. But he could also see that she wasn’t relenting. The adorable woman wouldn’t be satisfied until he remained safe and sound behind palace doors. What she didn’t understand was that he wasn’t letting her out of his sight this time around.

He conceded her point with a nod. “All accurate assumptions. But my security detail is trained for situations like this. I am escorting you around to help you with your investigation.”

She narrowed her eyes. “So, I’m special?”

“Oh yes,” he breathed very softly. “You are very special, Arianna Callas.”

Her stomach tightened with his words and she wasn’t sure how to respond. In this case, she suspected that it would be better to just keep her mouth shut.

That didn’t stop her eyes from moving to his mouth. It hit her once again that his mouth was incredibly sexy. Erotic-looking, even! So close. So painfully, close.

She jerked backwards, her thoughts startling her.

She took a deep breath, startled by what she’d been thinking. “How long am I to remain here at the palace?”

He leaned back as well, smothering his amusement at her avoidance of what was happening between them. “Until we figure out the mystery,” he replied, and possibly longer, he silently added.

Arianna assumed that the mystery he referred to was her father’s disappearance, but there was something about the way he said those words that made her suspect there was more.

Nothing made sense any longer. Yesterday, she knew what she had to do. The world was black and white. Now she wasn’t so sure. Now…maybe there was a bit more grey to what she’d previously believed.

“Tell me more about yourself,” he commanded even as he piled her plate high with eggs, bacon, sausage, and muffins.

Arianna looked at the enormous pile of food. “Um...well, I never eat this much for breakfast.”

He dismissed her comment and added more food to her plate. “You will now. You are too thin.”

She covered her mouth with her hand, smothering a chuckle. “Yes, sir.”

“Eat!” he ordered as he set the plate down in front of her and poured her coffee. “Do you take cream or sugar?”

She shook her head. “No, black is fine,” she told him, feeling strangely formal at the moment. Strange because this man had basically seen her naked less than a half hour ago. And formal because…well, he was royalty and she…wasn’t.

“You’re being awfully nice this morning,” she commented, picking up her fork and taking a small bite of the eggs. They were delicious and filled with some sort of cheese and herbs. “Oh my! These are amazing!”

“Good. You’ll eat all of that,” he announced. “So, you were going to tell me about yourself.”

She took another bite of the eggs while trying to fight another chuckle. “You probably know more about me than I do myself. Why don’t you tell me what you know and I’ll try to fill in the blanks?”

He leaned back in his chair, sipping his coffee. “Okay, you work as a business manager for a garden center. You took over the job about a year ago and you’ve made it into a surprisingly successful enterprise, considering that the place was going bankrupt until you stepped in to save the business.”

Arianna was quick to dismiss her contributions. “No, Hayden did that herself. She’s my boss and she knows plants better than anyone I know.”

“She creates the plants to sell but you’re the mover, the one who energized the business.”

Arianna shook her head once again. “No, I’m sorry but I can’t take credit for that either. The real genius behind the business is Hayden’s husband, Viktor Chenko. He knows more about business than I could ever learn. He’s amazing.”

Rhys nodded. “Yes, my country has done business with Mr. Chenko in the past. He is an incredibly intelligent businessman. Good ideas.”

Arianna was startled with that news but rallied quickly, hiding her surprise. If Viktor was doing business with the Triar government…was she wrong? Viktor was ethical and wonderful. He’d fallen in love with Hayden the very first time they’d met and, when her friend had been in serious financial trouble, Viktor had stepped in to help her.

“Viktor is a sweet, compassionate hero,” she stated firmly. “What?” she asked when she saw the incredulous expression in Rhys’ eyes. “He’s very kind,” she repeated firmly, thinking of all the ways he’d even helped her.

Rhys shook his head and sipped his coffee. “Viktor Chenko is not kind, my dear.”

She shifted in her seat. “Don’t be patronizing,” she snapped, not seeing the smile that lit up his eyes at her brazen admonition because she was looking down at her plate once again, trying to hide another blush. “He’s a good man and has treated my friend very well. They’re expecting a baby soon.”

“I will send him my condolences.”

That brought her eyes up to his, angry now. “Condolences? For expecting a baby? Why would you say something like that?”

He laughed. “I don’t really believe that. A child is truly a gift and a blessing. I just wanted to see your eyes again.” He winked at her before adding, “And I like the fire in those pretty eyes too.”

She sighed and put her fork down, not hungry any longer. “I’m so glad that I amuse you. I’m sure that I’m very predictable, aren’t I?”

He laughed outright at that. “Predictable?” He shook his head as if the idea was ludicrous. “You are possibly the least predictable of any woman I’ve ever known, Arianna. And I find that fascinating.”

Startled, she looked at him, trying to figure out what he meant. “Fascinating?” For some reason, that sounded like a dangerous word. Not to mention, Arianna couldn’t stop her eyes from admiring his shoulders.

Wait…was she doing it again? She should be immune to his shoulders. Wow! This morning was getting pretty out of control!

No! She wasn’t fascinated!

“You aren’t eating, Arianna,” he admonished.

She put her fork down and glared across the table at him, conveying her stubbornness. “I’m finished. What’s next on the agenda? Don’t you have meetings? People to see? Wars to start or someone to torture? Because I’m fully capable of asking questions on my own. I don’t need your assistance, just a phone call to someone who can get people to answer my questions, whoever that might be.”

He laughed softly. “I’ll get to each of those agenda items later this afternoon. If you’ve had enough, let’s go,” and he stood up, taking her hand and lifting her out of the chair. Right into his arms!

“What are you doing?” she demanded breathlessly as her soft breasts pressed up against his hard chest. She couldn’t ignore the way his muscles felt under her fingers as she tried to balance herself. Nor could she figure out what to do with her hands. In the end, she had to grab his arms or fall, and that wasn’t a pretty option. When her fingers gripped his upper arms, she was amazed by what was underneath her fingertips. The man was all muscle! All power and…well, just crazy hard!

She tried to look away, but the stupid man was just too big! He towered over her, but more than that, his shoulders were…in the way! Irritating broad shoulders, she thought in annoyance.

His next words completely distracted her from salacious thoughts of his bulging muscles though. “I’m fighting the instinct to either paddle your amazingly enticing bottom or kiss you. Which would you prefer?”

Arianna stared up at him, her breath caught in her throat. Initially, her eyes looked into his darker ones, but as his question filtered through her fuzzy brain, her gaze dropped to his lips. Firm, sensuous lips, she thought. Very kissable lips. Very…! “Um…neither?”

His hand shifted, moving down her back to stop precariously close to her derriere. “And if ‘neither’ isn’t an available choice?”

She bit her lip, not sure she could withstand a spanking. But his kiss? Oh my, yes, his kiss might be more devastating. She remembered their kiss from the last time and…

“You’ll enjoy both,” he asserted, his head lowering even as his hand moved along her waist, sliding lower. Lower still. She caught her breath, wondering if he was going to spank her. She wasn’t waiting for that. No, she didn’t want that! Not in any way.

Did she?

Goodness, the image of his hand against her bottom, his tanned fingers smoothing over her…! It was too much! She couldn’t think and pressed her palms against his chest.

Thankfully, he loosened his hold. But not completely. No, he didn’t let her get too far from him. And she felt the heat of his body too intensely for efficient cognition. “No kiss then?” he asked, his voice low. Sexy. Almost painfully seductive.

When she realized the direction of her thoughts, she sighed with frustration. Obnoxious man! She slipped out of his arms…or tried to. His eyes sharpened when she tried to pull away but he shook his head, a slight smile tilting those…she refused to describe his lips as sexy! No, that would be dangerous.

His lips were dangerous.

She blinked and tried to do better. Sexy? No, that didn’t help a whole lot either. Enticing? Nope…wrong direction again.

What was wrong with her? Why was she thinking like this? Arianna was suddenly discovering a disturbing need to flaunt danger. To court danger. And his lips might just be her first adventure.

Blinking, she was shocked at where her mind had gone. Pulling away, stepping as far as his hold would allow, she tried to push those crazy thoughts out of her mind. He was just a man. She’d dated men in the past and…okay, so none had made her think such outrageous thoughts as this man did.

But…it had taken her weeks to stop brooding about his laugh after their kiss months ago. Her self-esteem had been brutalized. She couldn’t go through that again.

“Didn’t you say something about…leaving?”

Those fascinating lips quirked up slightly, almost as if he found her amusing, but nodded in agreement. She sighed with relief when he released her and she was able to put more distance between the two of them. Taking in deep gulps of air, she tried to get hold of her rampant and undignified thoughts. Focus on finding her father, she reminded herself. Focus and stop wondering about…him. And his shoulders. Or his chest. Or…any other body part.

“Yes, we need to make a stop first. Are you ready?”

Arianna almost laughed at the question, looking down at her blue, silk dress, then back up at him. “Ready for what? You still haven’t told me what is going on today or even why I’m still here in the palace instead of out searching for my father, which I should have been doing already instead of sitting around eating. I’m confused.”

He moved closer, taking her hand once again before he said, “You are still here in the palace because you fascinate me.”

Her eyes widened. He sounded like a spoiled child, but this man was no child! “And you always get what you want?”

“Yes,” he answered softly and without emphasis. It was simply a statement of fact. And Arianna acknowledged that, as sheik, the man probably did get anything he wanted. Not even things that were outside of reason, like average people would have to limit themselves to dreaming about. Yes, this man could, and probably did, get anything he desired.

She’d have to remember that.

“Except me,” she asserted as firmly as she could, and waited for him to confirm it. When he only stared back at her, she shifted on her feet, feeling like a trapped rabbit. “Where is a frantic aide with an urgent crisis when one needs it?” she muttered sarcastically.

He laughed, but then took her hand and tugged her closer. Thankfully, he only tucked her hand onto his arm and walked out of the dining room. “Fair enough. We will move forward with today’s plans.”

She watched as the guards surrounded them as soon as he stepped out of the dining room. They didn’t walk in front of and behind him, as they’d done to her when they’d led her to the dining room earlier, but the two of them were still surrounded.

For him, this was probably the norm. Arianna looked at the bulky men with bulges underneath their suit jackets and shuddered. Scary men, she thought.

When they stepped into the sunshine, she spotted the waiting SUV. “Where are we going?” she asked, nervous and not sure she wanted to get into that vehicle.

“We have a couple of stops first, but eventually we are going to the oil rig site. You and I are going to figure out what happened to your father.” One of the guards held the door open and Arianna peeked inside, nervous and tentative.

“I don’t think I want to get in,” she told him.

He moved closer. “That’s fine. I would rather stay right here and…”

Arianna didn’t let him finish that statement. Instead, she dove into the dark interior of the SUV and waited for him to join her. She couldn’t stop her teeth from grinding in frustration at his soft chuckle as he followed her into the cool interior. It seemed as if everything she did or said this morning amused him.

She bristled in the soft, leather seat, but then almost gasped out loud when he put his strong hand on her bare knee. “It’s going to be okay, Arianna. I promise.”

She could feel her heart pounding, her blood racing as she stared down at his hand. No man had ever dared to touch her like that. She’d always been completely in control of her dates, even to the point of telling the man when he should kiss her and ending the kiss when she’d grown bored with the caress.

Would this man listen to her when she got bored? When she told him to stop?

Two things struck her at the same moment. First, from past experience, she knew that she would never be bored by his kisses! And secondly, she wasn’t sure he would stop. Or that she would want him to stop! Goodness, all of those issues were disturbing and altered her world in a dramatic way.

Deciding that now wasn’t the time to evaluate the sexual tension when she was about to continue the search for her father, she looked out the window. “Where are we going?”

“We’re going to your hotel.”

Sure enough, they were heading in the direction of the inexpensive hotel in which she’d been staying for the past several days. “Why are we going there?” she asked, panic filling her heart.

“We’re going to collect your belongings.”

She thought frantically of the clothes strewn all over the bed and floor. What would he think of the mess in her room? She’d been so anxious about finding her father, about possibly running into Rhys again, and not knowing how she might react to seeing him, not to mention, his reaction after she’d ignored his calls, that she hadn’t cleaned up in days! Her clothes were strewn about, laying all over the place. She remembered the…oh no!

“We can’t!” she gasped, her back ramrod straight as she tried to come up with a valid reason why they shouldn’t enter her hotel room.

“Why is that?” he asked, his eyes narrowing on her anxious face.

Rhys watched her carefully. He even sensed his bodyguards’ increased alertness, although they gave nothing away. One of them started typing on his cell phone and Rhys knew that the man was warning the others on the team in the SUVs in front of and behind his vehicle to be on higher alert.

The SUV pulled into the parking lot and Rhys looked around, his lips thinning as he surveyed the dump she’d been living in for the past several days. “This is where you’ve been sleeping?” he demanded in horror.

Arianna jumped out of the vehicle but the guards were already there, blocking her escape. She wasn’t trying to escape so much as to hurry into the hotel room and pick up…everything!

“If you want me to pack up my clothes, then fine. I’ll go do that,” she said, holding her hands out to ward off his progress towards the door. “But just…” She glanced behind her, noticed the other guards that were once again looking angry and…mean!

“What don’t you want me to see in there?” Rhys demanded, taking hold of her hand and pulling her closer. He wouldn’t release her hands even though she twisted them, trying to break his hold. The guards moved around him, their weapons at the ready. “Is there another man in that room, Arianna?” He questioned, fury eating at him. Or was it jealousy? He’d never been jealous of anyone, and especially not a woman, so this was a strange and unrecognizable emotion. One he didn’t like. Not in the least! But he couldn’t deny the fury that was surging through him at the thought of a man waiting for her, a man who had the right to touch her, to feel her soft skin and hear her soft moans or sighs as he ran his hands over her body.

“Or is there a weapon that you don’t want my men to find?” he demanded, thinking in the opposite direction. “Damn it, Arianna, are you sending my security team into a trap?” he asked, gripping her upper arms, lifting her up onto her toes.

Arianna’s mouth fell open, shocked at the thought. “No!” she gasped. “There’s no danger in the room! And definitely not a man!”

Rhys looked at her, saw the outrage in her eyes, and some of his tension…and jealousy…eased with her assurance. Not all, but it wasn’t a gnawing, acidic burn in his stomach now. All of his guards had stopped, waiting for her answer. When he saw the truth, he nodded to his men. They went to the door cautiously, still wary of accepting her word.

Arianna watched in horror as the big, muscular men moved towards her hotel room door. She tried frantically to stop them, but the words wouldn’t come. It was as if the world had shifted into slow motion and she could anticipate everything that they might see as soon as they opened the door.

No, she thought. She couldn’t allow these men to go into her hotel room!

“Please!” she gasped, turning around with pleading eyes as she begged him to stop his guards. Just thinking about…oh, they just couldn’t!

She watched, her hands braced against his biceps but for once, she didn’t concern herself with those arms or the man glaring down at her. She watched, her entire being cringing as Rhys’ men entered her room. A few minutes later, all three bodyguards came out, each of them had varying levels of amusement on their faces.

“Oh no!” she whispered, her shaking fingers covering her face.

Rhys looked down at her, then at his men. Something strange was going on. He had no idea what it was, but he was going to figure this out.

“Come on,” he snapped and moved toward the open door.

Arianna raced ahead of him, putting her hands onto his chest in a valiant effort to stop him from moving forward. “You don’t need to go in there,” she urged, but her heels skidded slightly against the cement parking lot.

He glared at her, then frowned at his men. None were giving anything away beyond slight smirks, which only made him more determined to find out what she’d been hiding in the hotel room. “I’m going in, Arianna. Either get out of my way or…”

She shook her head, those silky, strawberry blonde locks tumbling about her shoulders as she shoved him. “No. You can’t. Just…oomph!” she grunted when he simply picked her up and carried her into the room.

“No!” she gasped and hid her head on his shoulder. When he put her down, she buried her face in her hands. But in the ensuing silence, she couldn’t stand the suspense. Peering through her fingers, she looked at him, sure that he was…

Oh, it was worse!

Arianna loved lingerie! She spoiled herself on beautiful pieces, lacy things that made her feel special and sexy and feminine. Now one of those bras was dangling from his fingers, looking sexier than she’d ever thought possible. “Don’t!” she gasped, horrified that he was looking at her intimate pieces. “Oh, please, just…get out and I’ll…” She didn’t finish that statement, just reached up and grabbed the pretty bra from his fingers.

He bent down and picked up a black, lace thong…one of her favorites!

“Rhys! Don’t!” But he anticipated her move this time and lifted his arm, moving the thong out of her reach.

He laughed softly even as she jumped to try to reach the delicate scrap of lace. But in the process, she lunged, plastering herself against his body. Without remorse, he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer.

“What are you wearing underneath this dress?” he asked and recognizing the husky quality to his voice, she knew that she was in big trouble. Especially since her own body was reacting to the feeling of her breasts pressed against his chest, her thighs against his.

“Nothing,” she blurted, and almost choked over her shock when they both registered what she’d said. “I mean…”

He released her, but that wasn’t the end to the discussion. She retreated with each step he took towards her until she felt her shoulders against the wall behind her. Then…well, out of the frying pan and into the fire, she thought.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she watched him move even closer.

“I’m finding out if you’re really wearing nothing underneath this silk dress,” he purred, reaching for her.

“You can’t!” she whispered, but her tongue darted out, moistening her suddenly dry lips.

“Why can’t I?” he asked, his hand sliding along her waist, smoothing higher. She gasped when his hand lightly brushed against her breast, her nipple already hard, aching for…another touch? Impossible!

“Please!” she gasped, feeling his fingertip drift along the edge of her neckline. The buttons…they weren’t a strong enough defense. They popped open…one by one. None of them hesitated to give way under his fingers’ relentless commands.

When he spread the blue silk, his eyes moved lower. For a long moment, he only stared, his eyes barely moving as he took in the delicate blue lace that only barely covered her nipples.

She waited, barely breathing now. Her body almost arched closer, wanting him to touch her. The nipple was there, pointed towards him, aching for his caress.

But did he give her what she needed?

No! The horrible man smiled. Just smiled! And then, the jerk buttoned the dress back up. Even worse, he wasn’t particularly careful about his efforts, because those hard knuckles brushed mercilessly against her breasts, the touch almost making her double over with need. An unprecedented need. She’d never wanted anyone to touch her, to cup her breasts and rub his thumbs over their hard peaks. But right now, at this particular moment, she would gladly beg him for that touch, just a simple caress.

When he stepped back, her arms swiftly moved up, doubling over her chest as if the gesture could ease the ache throbbing through her breasts. It didn’t help. She doubted anything could help.

Lifting her eyes back to his, she wondered what game he was playing. But then she saw the black lace still in his hand and her mouth fell open. Both of them realized what he was holding at the same moment, but he was faster, his reflexes honed by decades of training. So, when she tried to snatch the material away, he quickly pulled the underwear out of her reach, his laughter following her attempt. “I don’t think so,” he told her softly. “These are mine now.”

And with that, he stuffed them into his pocket.

With a grumble, she glared at the pocket, but…was that…was he…? She realized what she was staring at and…oh, she should be embarrassed that she was admiring at Rhys’ large, clearly throbbing erection. But she wasn’t. Not even slightly. In fact, her hands loosened, fully prepared to reach out, to explore further.

She came to her senses with a nearly audible snap and glared up at him. Yes, he knew exactly what she’d been about to do! The blush staining her cheeks was painful!

“Oh!” she huffed and moved around him. With jerky movements, she grabbed every item of her clothing, stuffing them back into her suitcase, too distracted to be concerned with folding them, she didn’t care about wrinkles. Arianna was more concerned with hiding the rest of her delicate lingerie from this man’s too knowing eyes.

When she was finished, she surveyed the rest of the room, aware that she hadn’t made the bed but only one side was messed up. And even that, barely. Each night after running around the city trying to talk to anyone who might know something about her father’s whereabouts, she’d curled up into a ball, mentally and physically exhausted.

“You’re not a neat freak,” he observed drily.

She walked into the bathroom and quickly gathered up the items in there. The bathroom wasn’t as messy, but she still had several bottles of lotion, body wash, shampoo, and conditioner to collect. She loved to spoil her skin and hair. Dumping everything into her makeup bag, she tossed that on top of her clothes, then zipped the suitcase closed. “Fine. I’m finished.” she announced.

“Excellent,” he told her and lifted her suitcase from the bed. Opening the hotel room door, he handed the case to one of the waiting guards who whisked it off …somewhere.

Arianna watched and tried to hide her panic as her clothes and toiletries disappeared. She shouldn’t have packed up everything, she thought. She should have stood her ground and told him to get out of her hotel room. As long as she was paying the bill, she deserved to be here.

Unless he was kicking her out. Which…yeah, he had the power to do. Arianna had to keep reminding herself that this man literally had the power of life and death over everyone in the country. An awesome thought, but one she couldn’t dwell on at the moment.

“Okay, so where are we going?” she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest because…well, because her breasts were still tingling from his touch. Still wondering when she would get another chance to feel his strong fingers against her nipples.

That was such a crazy notion, she had to banish the thought from her mind. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately, and it occurred to her that this might be a horrible, miserable nightmare.

She reached down and pinched herself, then cringed when it hurt.

“What did you just do?” he asked, sounding as if he wasn’t sure if he should laugh or put her in a straight jacket.

She sighed and looked around. “Nothing. Just being silly,” she told him. Yep, this was a nightmare. One that just kept going on and on.

“You’re a stunning woman, Arianna, but you have some strange notions.” He put a hand to the small of her back again and led her out of the hotel room. “But that’s okay. I’m still fascinated. I can’t wait to learn more about you.”

She sighed as she walked slightly ahead of him, not sure what he meant by that. And not sure she wanted to know either. Ignorance could be bliss, she told herself firmly.

“So, where are we going now?” she asked as she stepped into the SUV. He came in right after her, and again, he was too close. His strong thigh was touching hers but as soon as she tried to move away, he pulled her right back against his side.

“We’re going to find out what happened to your father,” he told her, as if that were the most obvious thing in the world.

Arianna stilled, her body running cold. “Really? You’re still going to help me?” she asked, her voice choked as emotion swelled up inside of her.

He nodded his head and looked at the guards, both of whom nodded right back, as if some sort of signal had been conveyed. Both of the guards stepped into the front seats and she took that to mean she shouldn’t discuss this any longer.

Looking out the window of the SUV, she wondered what was going on. Was he really going to help her or was he still teasing her? Or worse, stringing her along for some strange reason?

Her blood chilled, thinking about all of the possibilities. About the weeks, months that it had taken her to get over her anger and humiliation the last time. Now she had her father to worry about and he…was he…?

No! He wasn’t that kind of a man. Was he?

As the beauty of the desert flew by outside of the air-conditioned SUV, Arianna knew that it was entirely possible that she was just along for the ride. But that was okay, as long as Rhys helped her find her father.

There had been the oil leaks. The damaged pipes. And hadn’t her father mentioned something about an explosion? Or maybe just the potential for an explosion. Was Rhys right about this being more than just her missing father?

As soon as she asked that question in her mind, she knew the answer. An explosion could mean that someone was trying to hide something more than just leaky rigs. That someone else had done something, or acted in a way that could cause damage. Her father had been the victim, but who had been the perpetrator?

She looked up at Rhys’ hard profile. What had she missed? Her mind went over all the pictures she’d studied, then she thought through the results of the chemical reports, the metal stress tests, all the various reports she and her father had discussed over the past few months.

But reports could be falsified. And she could be a victim as well.

Was she putting herself in danger? Was Rhys in danger now that she’d asked him for help?

It was entirely possible. In this world, where oil and money were powerful motivators, and money could buy someone’s silence as well as falsify a report…yes, it was possible.

Had her father been kidnapped, or even worse, silenced, because he’d discovered something wrong in the reports? And yeah, she was wimping about the “silenced” verb. She simply couldn’t think of her father as gone. No way! He couldn’t have been murdered.

“You seem to be having a very heavy conversation with yourself,” Rhys observed, interrupting that conversation. “What are you thinking about?”

Arianna looked over at him. Maybe he could connect the issues that weren’t very clear in her mind. “During our conversations, my father had been talking about something, some report that didn’t add up.”

His eyes immediately sharpened with that news. “What report? And what about it didn’t add up?”

Rubbing her forehead, she wished that she’d been able to sleep a bit longer this morning. She hadn’t been able to turn off her mind last night, what with worry over her father’s disappearance and the added stress of being near Rhys again.

“Arianna?”

She realized that he’d been patiently waiting for her to answer his question. “Sorry,” she groaned and looked out the window again. “I don’t remember much about the reports,” she admitted with a mental castigation. “I was too focused on my own job and,” she paused for a moment, wishing that she could have those conversations over again. “Well, I didn’t pay attention to him as I should have,” she sighed. “I’m sorry.” Turning her head, she conveyed her apology through her eyes as well as words.

“You had your own life to live, Arianna. Don’t beat yourself up for that.”

Her hands fisted in her lap as frustration and disloyalty hit her hard. “But it was my father! And he was telling me something.”

“You couldn’t have anticipated this happening to him.”

She looked into his eyes and realized something. “This kind of stuff is just part of your normal day, isn’t it?” she asked softly. “You deal with this kind of violence and mystery all the time.”

This was just part of his life. He knew the worst that was happening in the world and had to make life or death decisions based off of that information. “Life isn’t always pretty,” was his only response.

Reaching out, she laid her hand on his arm. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

His warm fingers covered hers and immediately the tension shifted. She felt the heightened awareness as if it were a physical force. She looked down at his fingers covering her own and she was startled by the differences in their hands. Hers were pale and small compared to his, which were almost twice the size and tanned, his fingers strong and scarred.

Turning his hand over, she traced several of the scars. “Where did these come from?” she asked softly.

“Different activities,” he answered and she understood that he wasn’t going to discuss them. That only made them more fascinating and her imagination went wild trying to come up with explanations. “Nothing that interesting,” he told her with a soft chuckle, eyeing her curious expression.

Arianna blinked, looking up at him. “I didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t have to. I can see where your mind was going. And trust me. The scars aren’t anything important.”

She didn’t believe him, but she also realized that the subject was closed. Looking out the window again, she thought back to the conversations she’d had with her father. “He mentioned something about piping being wrong,” she told him, startled that she’d remembered that because it was so mundane. “There was something loose. Something that was of lesser quality. The rigging on the oil site…” she frowned down at her knees, her mind whirling with the effort to remember. “The rigging wasn’t right. It was breaking and didn’t fit the other parts correctly. There were leaks and…something else was going on.” She looked over at him. “Your new oil minister, was he cutting costs in different ways?”

“Nothing that I’ve been told about,” Rhys replied, looking at Arianna carefully. From the moment they’d stepped out of the palace, she’d been much more introspective.

No, that wasn’t quite accurate. From the moment he’d almost kissed her, she’d been…different. He’d seen the heat in her eyes and had known that she could feel the mutual attraction. He understood why this concerned her. The woman was focused on finding her father and, being attracted to someone at a critical time like this would be an enormous distraction. He respected the issues that were most likely pinging around in her head. She was smart, cautious, and worried about her father, as any sane person would be.

And yeah, he respected her so much more because of her dedication. He would resolve this mystery soon. It was all a puzzle Rhys was determined to unravel.

He heard her sigh and could almost feel the tension build up in her slender body, then noticed her shoulders deflate. He didn’t like the resignation he saw in her beautiful, golden eyes now. Gone was the fire, the determination and the daring. Replacing those strong emotions was…defeat.

“You said this was bigger than just my father’s disappearance, but it’s even more complicated than I thought, isn’t it?” she asked, biting her lip and turning her head away to hide her face.

Rhys watched her carefully, struck by the sensitivity in that question. He wanted to see those eyes. They truly were a window to her soul, to her thoughts and feelings. She hadn’t learned how to hide her emotions, he could sense her dejection and he wanted her to fight. He loved that she was a strong advocate for her father. Even fighting him was better than her feeling…and looking…lost.

“Talk to me, Arianna,” he urged. He leaned forward, pressing a button, which lifted the divider between the back seat and the guards in the front of the vehicle. “We’re alone now. What’s bothering you?”

He watched as she looked down at her hands and he noticed that she wasn’t the kind of woman who regularly manicured her fingernails. He wasn’t sure why, but that seemed to lighten his mood. She was different in so many ways.

Rhys had to restrain himself from pulling her onto his lap so that he could wrap his arms around her. He thought about yesterday, about how slight she’d felt as he’d held her exactly like that while she cried on his shoulder. And even that, her tears and the memory of the way her body shook with the emotion racking her body, made him want to protect her. He didn’t think she’d allow that from him right now. And possibly not for a long time. He’d have to earn her trust.

So, why was he even willing to do that? For a woman! It was so incredibly outrageous. Women never showed their distrust around him. The only emotion they ever revealed in his presence was laughter, good humor, and…well, desire. He loved all three of those, but with Arianna, he wanted honesty, even if he didn’t like where that honesty led.

Crazy!

But so it was. Arianna was different. He’d known that from the moment she’d stepped into the ballroom months ago on her father’s arm. And every moment since then, she’d reinforced that impression.

She pressed her lips together for a long moment and he thought she might not share with him. But then she turned those golden eyes his way. “I’m trying to remember other conversations, trying to remember what he’d told me.”

“I know you said that you weren’t paying attention, but think hard. Can you remember anything about the reports your father discussed? Even a small detail would help me narrow down some questions. I wasn’t informed that there were any problems with equipment on the oil rigs or any budget cuts.”

She looked up at him, startled. “Why would you be informed? Even if the equipment failures ended in an injury, would that information really make it to your desk?”

His eyes sharpened with that question. She didn’t understand him or the way he ruled so he took a moment to explain. “Accidents happen. Working on an oil field, on a rig, is a dangerous job. But I take pride in ensuring that every precaution is put in place to prevent accidents. So if someone was hurt or died, I should have been informed of it.”

She stared up at him, feeling a sense of wonder at his devotion to his people. “What would you have done if you’d been informed?”

He didn’t hesitate. “I would have looked into the situation.”

Despite his forceful response, Arianna wasn’t convinced. Her cynicism reared its ugly head. “Personally? Or would you have delegated the task to someone else?”

He shrugged. “The action would have been delegated.”

Aha! Point made! “I don’t think anyone was looking into the equipment failures. And my father brought it up to his superiors, but nothing was done about it. Except that now, he’s missing.”

“How do you know?”

Victory was sweet in the face of his arrogance. “Because I was given information.”

His eyes narrowed and Arianna felt a shiver at the intensity of that look. “What information? Nothing was forwarded to my office.”

She sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Rhys, you’re a busy man. Equipment purchases might have made a footnote in one of your morning briefings, but admit it, you probably wouldn’t have thought twice about it.”

“Perhaps. But I don’t like not being informed.”

At least he was willing to concede that there might have been an issue and wasn’t willing to sweep it away or hide it. But something in his voice, or maybe it was the words he used, triggered a memory. “Well, someone looked into the issue. An investigation was started, reports were submitted, and the issue closed. Inferior materials were used, materials that weren’t up to normal standards and couldn’t withstand the pressure of the pumping process. An explosion broke off metal shards from the rig. I don’t know if anyone was hurt, but with something like that, it would seem likely that someone probably was. Profits were demanded, mistakes made, and now….”

He stared at her silently for a long moment. Arianna admitted that she didn’t know him well enough to discern what he was thinking, but she could see the intelligence in his eyes.

“If there was an explosion, then I should have been informed immediately. Any sort of fire on an oil rig triggers an emergency response. It’s just too dangerous, especially with the methane fumes all over the area. Any explosion, even a small one, would be a pretty major event.”

She paused before going on, not sure how he might take her next statement. “It would seem to be a good protocol to have in place. But there was an explosion,” she insisted, sure of the conversation now that they were talking about it. “So I understand why you think that the investigation is bigger than just a missing engineer.” She ignored the arrogant lift of his eyebrow to continue, “If the results prove that your orders were the impetus that caused the failure, then what?”

He didn’t have an answer for her since he hadn’t ordered inferior materials be used. So instead, he said, “Arianna, I monitor the top line of the profits carefully, but my focus is more on establishing an overall cost for the oil exports. My oil minister is responsible for the profits of each oilrig, each section of the country. So your assertion that I ordered the cost cutting measures…it didn’t happen. I know that you’d like to paint me as the bad guy in this, but…”

She pressed her lips together. “If you didn’t order the project manager to use the lower line of steel joints to be used for replacement parts, even though the memo came from your desk, then who did?”

She didn’t believe him, he realized. He almost laughed at her skepticism, but didn’t. He was so used to everyone believing him immediately, that the idea of a woman daring to not believe him was outrageous. And such a turn-on that it was hard to keep his hands off of her. Even that reaction felt completely bizarre.

Once more, his eyes dropped to her lips and he remembered what it was like to kiss someone so defiant. And beautiful.

Rhys kept his amusement to himself, but only because he didn’t want to hurt her feelings. She was hurt and angry, lashing out to ease the pain over her worry about her father. He wasn’t going to compound the problem by making her think that he was too callous to care about her feelings or her beliefs.

“Let us just follow the evidence and see where it leads us, shall we?” he offered. He glanced out of the window and nodded at something. “We’re here.”

She looked around, startled by his announcement as well as by the determination in his eyes. She didn’t know what either meant, and was even more disconcerted by his look. But the man knew how to hide whatever he was thinking so she turned her attention towards the “we’re here” statement. Looking around, she realized that they were parked in what looked to be a very exclusive shopping mall.

“Why are we here?” she asked, but he was already getting out, his guards surrounding both of them.

He took her hand to assist her in stepping out of the SUV. “You can’t go traipsing around an oil rig in a silk dress and heels.”

She looked down at her clothes, feeling more than a little silly in the same clothes she’d been wearing the previous day. “For the record,” she told him, glaring up into his eyes, “I don’t ‘traipse’ anywhere.”

He smiled slightly, enjoying the sparkle that had come back into her eyes. “You’re mocking me. I like that.” The wind was whipping the blue silk against her figure and Arianna was completely unaware of how the silk molded to her curves, giving him an enticing silhouette to enjoy.

She pulled back, shaking her head and pulling him to a stop. “I don’t…”

Immediately, he sensed the warring emotions and turned to face her, effectively shielding her from anyone else who might be in the parking lot. “You’ve already been to the rig site and were treated poorly.” He paused, bending down to kiss her forehead. “Forgive me. That was insensitive of me.” He looked around, thinking quickly. “Would you like my men to take you back to the palace? I can look around and see what I find out. Then you and I can discuss my findings this evening over dinner.”

“How did you…?”

“My security team. They’ve been looking into the issue and were told yesterday that you had already been asking questions. One of the workers admitted that you weren’t treated well. In fact, you were kicked off of the property, weren’t you?”

“Yes but…”

“You don’t have to come with me, Arianna. I can do this with my guards and we can discuss whatever I find out later.”

She thought about his offer, thinking that it sounded very nice and cozy. But it also sounded like a cop-out. Yes, they would travel to where the men had insulted her yesterday, even shoved her around a bit. She didn’t want to hide from this. She’d traveled halfway across the world to find her father and she wasn’t copping out now.

“No,” she replied, shaking her head to emphasize her negative response. “No, I’ll go.”

He looked down at her carefully, feeling that strange tug once again, that sensation that made him want to protect her from all harm, anything that might hurt her, even if it was just her feelings. “Are you sure? You don’t need to prove anything to me.”

Arianna looked up into his dark eyes, struck by the honesty and integrity she saw there. “Maybe I have to prove it to myself,” she admitted. Was she simply imagining that? “Men who push women around are bullies. They expect women to fall in with their demands and not confront them. I backed away yesterday because they threatened to arrest me for trespassing. Going back there today would be good. Cathartic even. And it would send a signal to those weak men not to manhandle women.”

His eyes hardened and she held her breath, worried about whatever he might say next. “I want the names of the men who mistreated you, Arianna.”

Instantly, she relaxed. “Your Highness…”

“Rhys,” he corrected.

She shook her head. “I think it’s better if I stick to formal titles,” she argued.

He moved closer and she caught her breath. “Several months ago, I kissed you. And I’m going to kiss you again, Arianna. Very soon. So no, I’m not going to allow you to hide behind titles. This is happening. We need to find your father, but there’s no denying the chemistry between us.”

The certainty in his voice caused her heart to pound, but also that feminine core inside of her unfurled slightly. Had she misunderstood his amusement last time? It was hard to believe. “Oh, you think…” she started to say, to challenge his assumption that they would become intimate.

He shook his head and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “No more assumptions. Let’s discover the truth this time, eh?” The truth about what was going on between them? Or the truth about her father’s disappearance?

The personal aspect of their relationship would have to wait. She couldn’t handle anything more right now. Not with her father missing. But thankfully, he wasn’t placating her, he was nudging her to open her mind, to allow for the possibility that there was more going on than what she’d originally assumed or had been told. “Fine. Open mind. All options are possible.” As long as those options dealt with her father and not…whatever was between them, she silently added.

He nodded his approval and she felt that approval all the way down to her toes. She fought the warm glow that suffused her body, not wanting to acknowledge the source. But it was there, regardless of her stubbornness.

“Excellent,” he replied, his finger trailing down her cheek. She tried, and failed, to suppress the shudder of awareness that shot through her body with his touch. But he felt it and the heat warmed his eyes.

Thankfully, they were in the middle of a parking lot and his guards were becoming antsy about the two of them remaining so exposed. Arianna glanced to the right and left, then realized that his glaring guards were once again blaming her for putting him in danger. Yikes! He was exposed and she was standing here, bickering about…what had they been discussing? She couldn’t even remember now that her mind was fully distracted with the way her skin was still tingling after his touch.

“We need to get inside or back in the SUV,” she told him, then took his hand and hurried ahead of him, pulling him towards the entrance to the stores. He chuckled, but followed along. With his longer stride, he was more than able to match her hurried steps. He also noticed the startled expressions on a couple of his guards’ faces. Yes, he thought silently, she’s worried about me. So not quite the monster she’d presented to all of them yesterday.

He was glad that his guards were realizing that because…well, he suspected that this little lady was going to be much more important to him than he’d originally intended.

His guards would protect his wife with their lives, but if they admired her, it would be a much more palatable job.

He directed her first towards a shoe store. The store manager immediately hurried forward, gushing offers of assistance. “How can I help you, Your Highness?” he asked, bowing low.

“Ms. Callas needs steel toed boots,” Rhys explained. “But they need to be comfortable as well.”

The manager nodded quickly. “Size seven?” he offered after a glance at her feet.

“Yes,” Arianna agreed, startled by the man’s quick ability to determine her shoe size.

The man snapped his fingers and two employees bustled off, almost running to present choices. “We have several options. We’ll make sure your lady has a pair that are comfortable as well as safe.”

“Just safe would be fine,” Arianna offered, not wanting to be too much of a burden. Already she’d taken Rhys away from the palace and the business of the government. Besides, she was impatient to get back to trying to find her father. This was pointless, she thought. And she had a perfectly acceptable pair of sneakers in her luggage, although she had no clue where her bags had gone. One of the guards had taken it from the hotel and it had disappeared.

“Comfort is required as well,” Rhys contradicted and dared her with his dark eyes to argue with him.

Sure enough, Arianna bristled at the challenge, more than ready to fight for her point. But in what seemed like only seconds later, the man and woman who had just hustled into the storage room, were coming back out, their arms loaded down with boxes filled with shoes. They set the stack down, then stepped back, their eyes moving warily towards the guards.

Arianna couldn’t help but feel bad for them, but it was still more than slightly humorous since she was in the same position. The manager pulled out the boots and set them on the floor, obviously allowing Arianna to choose whichever she might like the best. “These will probably be fine,” she said, picking up the pair that looked the least expensive. She earned a very good salary as a business manager and could afford to pay for her own boots. In fact, Hayden had even forced a profit sharing program on her recently after Arianna had successfully expanded her plant business into the wholesale market.

But her mission here in Triar hadn’t been cheap. Flying halfway across the world and staying in a hotel in a foreign country, not to mention living expenses and a few bribes that had revealed absolutely nothing, everything all started to add up. Her savings account was still healthy, but she was a conservative spender and wanted to preserve as much of her nest egg as possible, especially if she needed to pay a ransom for her father’s release.

She slipped the boots on and tied up the laces. As she walked around, she nodded. “Yes, these are good. I’ll take these.”

The manager bowed once again and started to wrap up the others.

But Rhys stopped him. “Try on a couple of the others, just so that you have something to compare them to.” He handed her the pair that looked like they would be the most expensive with soft leather and different ties that were a bit fancier than the other options.

Shaking her head, she backed up and held her hands out. “These are fine.”

He lifted a dark eyebrow. “They might be fine, but the others might be better. Never settle for substandard options, Arianna. I’m sure your father would agree, wouldn’t he?”

Her shoulders stiffened and she glared up at him. “These boots are perfectly acceptable. I don’t need fancy boots.”

She ignored the gasps behind her, refusing to back down.

Rhys ignored the others, moving closer as he glared down at her. “You’re just being stubborn now, aren’t you?”

She squared off with him, unwilling to relinquish the small areas of control that were in her power. A pair of shoes might seem like a silly issue on which to take a stand, but she wanted to win this argument. “Aren’t you being just as stubborn?”

Those lips quirked upwards slightly, as if he were once again fighting his amusement. “I’m allowed to be stubborn. I’m in charge.”

She couldn’t stifle the laugh that burst out of her with that pronouncement. “Um…well,” she shook her head. “I’ll fall back on your defense. I am allowed to be stubborn as well since I’m in charge of what I put on my feet and what my bank account can afford.”

He rolled his eyes. “You’re not paying for the boots. And you are getting boots that are higher quality. We’ll be walking around all day in these and you’re going to need the better leather.”

She wasn’t giving in. “My boots. I’ll pay for them. And these are fine.” She crossed her arms over her chest, daring him to contradict her once again.

He dared.

“She’ll take these as well,” and he handed the softer boots to the manager. His eyes lit up with the irritation in her eyes. “In fact, get her two pairs of these,” and he looked down at her, waiting for her next move.

She shrugged. “I hope you have a girlfriend who needs leather, steel toed boots, Your Highness,” and she tried very hard not to inflect his title with disgust. “Because I won’t be wearing them.”

He chuckled, turning so that his back shielded her from the view of the others in the store. They were already stacking the other boxes up, hurrying to the register to ring up the sale so it wasn’t too hard. “You enjoy defying me, don’t you, little flower?”

She heard the gentleness in his tone and pulled back, startled, not sure how to take the change in him. Gone was his stubbornness. In its place was…something much more intense. More startling. And scarier!

“I’m not defying you. I’m standing up for myself.” Her eyes watched his darker ones. “There’s a difference.”

He laughed again. “If you say so.” His hand reached out and did that sliding thing again. Immediately, all of the starch left her and she was standing there shaking while he nodded to someone behind her. She quickly spun around, definitely not wanting someone to witness her falling victim to his seduction.

Thankfully, it was only one of the guards who moved to the register and paid for all three pairs of boots, effectively sidestepping Arianna’s desire to pay for her own footwear.

“You cheated,” she snarled scathingly, still reeling from his touch and trying to hide it. Her reaction still didn’t make sense to her, so she tucked that issue away in her brain, needing to analyze her reaction and find some sort of logical reason for the way her body shivered whenever he touched her. Later. When he wasn’t standing so close to her. She couldn’t think when he was this close.

He laughed, and shook his head. “Get used to it.”

Once again, she wasn’t sure if he meant she should get used to his touch, or him getting his own way. Either possibility was dangerous.

They didn’t wait around for the manager to bag up the items. Rhys took her hand and led her out, heading towards a sporting goods store. In the United States, the sporting goods stores contained things like camouflage pants and deer hunting equipment. Here, since they were in the desert, the clothing was desert colors, blending more easily in with the rocks and desert instead of trees and forest. There were also pieces of sporting equipment that she didn’t recognize, but was curious to investigate.

She didn’t though, instead following behind Rhys, glaring daggers at his back.

He spoke to the manager of the store in his own language and in response, the other man nodded his head so hard, she wondered if it was possible for the manager’s head to fall off. Thankfully, he stopped, looked at Arianna, then nodded to Rhys again, and hurried off to a shelf.

“What did you ask that guy?”

Rhys turned to look down at her, his height making her feel a bit more intimidated in the dimmer lights. The lack of powerful lighting caused shadows to darken his eyes. Arianna needed to see this man’s eyes. It helped her to know what he was thinking, if only a fraction of his thoughts came through.

“I told him what I required of him and he is retrieving the items I requested.”

She poked a finger into his chest. “First of all, you didn’t ‘request’ anything. Secondly,” she glared up at him, “that still didn’t answer my question and you know it.”

He laughed softly and she quickly stepped out of his reach. That only created more amusement from him and his chuckle startled her since she was fully prepared for him to snap at her.

Before she could admonish him, the manager returned. In his arms were several pairs of cargo pants in her size, all in black. Another salesperson had various shirts, all long sleeved so she wouldn’t get sunburned in the harsh desert sunshine.

“Choose,” he commanded.

Arianna glared up at him but he only quirked an eyebrow, daring her to challenge him again. She realized that he was actually looking forward to her defiance, so instead of giving him the pleasure, she took the stack of pants into one of the dressing rooms and tried them on.

They all fit perfectly and she selected two of them, aware that Rhys wouldn’t allow her to pay for them herself. She chose two shirts as well.

“These will work,” she said, once more wearing her blue dress as she handed the manager the selected pants and shirts.

Rhys walked over to her and plunked a hat onto her head. She yelped, not expecting the action so it took her a moment to adjust the brim. “Anything else, Your Highness?” she asked, and this time, she didn’t even try to hide the sarcasm in her voice.

And again, he simply slid a pair of sunglasses onto her nose. Irritated, Arianna whipped them off and looked at them, but her eyes caught the price and gasped. “I can’t wear these!” she protested and tried to hand them off to the manager.

Of course, the manager took the glasses, but he only carried them over to the register and added them to the growing stack of items there. Rhys had included socks, several hats, and a second pair of sunglasses.

“I don’t need all of this!” she told him, horrified by the mounting debt. She’d have to pay him back for everything and she really couldn’t afford two thousand dollar sunglasses. Especially when a ten dollar pair would work just as well!

“Seriously, this is too much,” she insisted.

He handed her a pair of pants and one of the shirts. “You’ll need to change, eaziziun.”

She stiffened at his endearment, wanting to tell him that she wasn’t his “dear” or anything else, but she looked up into those dark eyes and knew that he was just waiting for her to reprimand him. She noticed his body lean forward, ready for whatever she might spout. And by that heated look in his eyes, she suspected that he wouldn’t allow her to say any of it. He would just…well, stop her.

And because she was already too irritated, she didn’t want to find herself in a compromising position. Again. Especially since she’d discovered six months ago how devastating his kiss could be. And how devastating it was when he laughed at her.

Taking the offered clothes, she marched back into the dressing room and changed. When she was dressed, she carefully folded her blue silk dress up, and stood there for another moment, breathing deeply to try and get her temper back under control.

The man was simply trying to help her. So why was she reacting so outrageously? Yes, the clothes were expensive and she probably wouldn’t use all of them, but was her stubbornness really appropriate?

With a sigh, she stepped out of the dressing room. Looking up, she stared right into his eyes. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

The surprise on his handsome features was almost amusing, but she couldn’t find the humor in this situation.

“Why are you sorry?” he asked, pushing away from the wall where he’d been leaning. He walked over to her until he was standing only inches from her.

Once again, her anger reared its ugly head, but she tamped it down, recognizing it for the fear it was. “I’m lashing out at you because I’m scared,” she admitted. “And painfully worried about my father and what might have happened to him, worried that he’s in pain or scared or…worse. And I’m impatient because going shopping, feeding me, and gathering my clothes isn’t searching for him.”

His hand lifted, cupping her chin. “I understand, Arianna. But trust me, my men are already working the issue. Even while we get you new clothes, my men are investigating although I know that you want to dig into the problem as well. Which we’ll do,” he assured her, anticipating her next question.

This world she’d dropped herself into was too confusing! There were nuances that she didn’t understand, motives that she couldn’t fathom. Not for the first time, she longed for the simpler days when her most complicated issue was establishing a retirement plan for the workers at Hayden’s garden center.

And then she looked up at Rhys, his strong jawline as he spoke to someone on his cell phone. She only understood a few of the words, but she fully grasped the intensity, the anger behind those words. Once again, she shivered, aware of the power this man wielded.

And once again, she was surprised when he recognized her reaction and looked down at her, his dark eyebrows lifting in silent question. This time, he hadn’t even been touching her, and yet, he’d still noticed her reaction.

Forcing a smile, she shook her head and continued walking beside him out of the shopping center. The desert sun hit her like a wave of heat when they walked through the doors and she blinked. Immediately, a pair of sunglasses were handed to her and she smiled gratefully at the guard who was carrying her bags.